The present application is based on Japanese Application 2000-070110, filed on Mar. 14, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sanitary washing device which washes a portion of a user by water sprayed from a nozzle pipe.
2. Description of the Background
As shown in FIG. 5, a conventional sanitary washing device 100, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication published as Toku-Kai-Hei 5-239856, is provided with a shower unit 101 comprising a changeover valve 102 and a pair of cylinders 103. The changeover valve 102 is a controlling valve supplying washing water to any of the pair of cylinders 103. A pair of cylindrical nozzle pipes 104 are accommodated in the pair of cylinders 103 and are caused to extend outward or retract into the cylinders 103 by the pressure of the washing water supplied through the changeover valve 102.
According to this mechanism, after the nozzle pipe 104 is extended forward from the cylinder 103 by the force of the washing water, the washing water is sprayed from an ejecting outlet of the nozzle pipe 104 toward a portion of a user sitting on a toilet bowl, for washing the a portion of the user. When the washing water supplied through the changeover valve 102 is stopped, the nozzle pipe 104 is retracted and is accommodated in the cylinder 103. Therefore, when the user uses the lavatory, the user""s excrement is not spattered directly on the nozzle pipes 104 since the nozzle pipes 104 are accommodated in the cylinders 103.
However, the nozzle pipes 104 may still become dirty when the portion of the user is washed by the washing water sprayed from the ejecting outlet of the nozzle pipes 104, as the human excrement attached to the portion of the user may be spattered or the washing water may drip from the portion of the user.
Accordingly, the sanitary washing device 100 as shown in FIG. 5 is provided with a knob 105 in order to manually pull out a nozzle pipe 104 retracted in the cylinder 103. The user can then clean the nozzle pipe 104, since the nozzle pipe 104 is extended from the cylinder 103 without washing water being sprayed from the ejecting outlet of the nozzle pipe 104. However, this is unpleasant and, since the user cannot normally see the nozzle pipe 104 in the toilet bowl, cleaning of the nozzle pipe 104 is still difficult.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sanitary washing device with an automatic: nozzle pipe cleaning apparatus.
According to a feature of the invention, the above and other objects are addressed by a sanitary washing device comprising a nozzle pipe accommodated in a cylinder so as to be selectively extended from the cylinder in order to spray washing water from an ejecting outlet of the nozzle pipe; a nozzle pipe washer positioned to spray washing water onto the nozzle pipe; and a control device configured and adapted to cause the nozzle pipe washer to spray washing water onto; the nozzle pipe in accordance with a movement of the nozzle pipe.
According to another feature of the invention, the above and other objects are addressed by a sanitary washing device in a toilet bowl for washing a portion of a user sitting on the toilet bowl, comprising a cylinder; at least one nozzle pipe accommodated in the cylinder so as to be selectively extended from the cylinder in order to spray washing water from an ejecting outlet of the nozzle pipe onto the portion of a user sitting on the toilet bowl; a nozzle pipe washer positioned to spray washing water onto the at least one nozzle pipe; and a control device configured and adapted to cause the nozzle pipe washer to spray washing water onto the at least one nozzle pipe in accordance with a movement of the at least one nozzle pipe.
According to yet another feature of the invention, the above and other objects are addressed by a sanitary washing device in a toilet bowl for washing a portion of a user sitting on the toilet bowl, comprising nozzle pipe means selectively extendable from a cylinder for spraying washing water from an ejecting outlet of the nozzle pipe means onto the portion of a user sitting on the toilet bowl; nozzle pipe washer means positioned to spray washing water onto the nozzle pipe means, and control means for causing the nozzle pipe washer means to spray washing water onto the nozzle pipe means in accordance with a movement of the nozzle pipe means.
In the sanitary washing device according to the invention, after the retracted nozzle pipe is moved forward and extended outward, the washing water for the portion of the user is sprayed from the ejecting outlet of the nozzle pipe for washing the portion of the user sitting on the toilet bowl and the nozzle pipe is retracted for being accommodated in the cylinder again. At this time, the nozzle pipe washer sprays the washing water to the device for cleaning thereof in accordance with the movement of the nozzle pipe.
Any driving power source can be used for moving the nozzle pipe. For instance, a type using the pressure of the washing water, or a type using a motor, can be used.
In the sanitary washing device of the invention, when the washing water outputted from the ejecting outlet of the nozzle pipe washes the portion of the user, human excrement attached to the portion of the user is spattered or warm water is dripped from the portion of the user. However, the nozzle pipe will be cleaned automatically since the nozzle pipe washer sprays washing water to the nozzle pipe in accordance with the movement of the nozzle pipe.
If the nozzle pipe washer sprays washing water onto the nozzle pipe while the nozzle pipe is retracting, and after the event making the nozzle pipe dirty, such as the human excrement attached to the portion of the user being spattered or the warm water being dripped from the portion of the user, has occurred, at least a minimal cleaning of the nozzle pipe can be assured with only a small use of washing water.
In addition, if the nozzle pipe washer sprays washing water onto the nozzle pipe while the nozzle pipe is extending, and before the event making the nozzle pipe dirty, such as the human excrement attached to the portion of the user being spattered or the warm water being dripped from the portion of the user, has occurred, the nozzle pipe is not easily made dirty since it has been wetted by the washing water.
In addition, if the nozzle pipe washer sprays washing water onto the nozzle pipe from a time when the nozzle pipe starts extending from the cylinder until a time when the nozzle pipe is retracted and is again accommodated in the cylinder, that is, both before and after the event making the body of the nozzle pipe dirty, such as the human excrement attached to the portion of the user being spattered or the warm water being dripped from the portion, of the user, has occurred, the nozzle pipe washer continuously sprays washing water onto the nozzle pipe.
When the washing water for the portion of the user, and the washing water for the nozzle are supplied by a warm tank through a changeover valve, since an existing washing water for the portion of the user system can be used to carry out the preferred embodiment of the sanitary washing device, the structure of an existing sanitary washing device need not to be redesigned to a large degree.
The nozzle pipe of the preferred sanitary washing device is extended and retracted by the warm water. A knob may also be mounted on the end of the nozzle pipe so that the nozzle pipe can also be manually extended for manual cleaning. However, since the nozzle pipe is cleaned automatically in the manner described above, such manual cleaning, which is likely to be unpleasant, need be done only rarely.